Use of biometrics (such as one or more fingerprints, vein scans, palm-vein scans, voiceprints, facial images, retina images, iris images, deoxyribonucleic acid sequences, heart rhythms, gaits, and so on) to establish a person's identity is increasingly common. Biometrics may be used to unlock electronic devices, retrieve sensitive information, enter secure areas (such as airport terminals, event venues, and so on), rent or purchase goods and/or services, and so on. A variety of different technologies may be used in a variety of different implementations to establish a person's identity using biometrics.
The fidelity of a biometric refers to the degree of certainty that a particular received biometric matches biometric data that a person previously provided. However, the degree of certainty that a particular received biometric matches biometric data that a person previously provided does not necessarily mean that an identity for that person has been established. The degree to which the identity has been established relates to the degree to which the identity associated with that previously provided biometric data has been verified. If the person who provided the biometric data is not who he asserts himself to be, a high fidelity for a match would indicate that the person is the same but not that he is who he asserts himself to be.